Since all I ever do is talk about books . . .
Geof requested that I do another one of these baton-type things, this one relating to books. So, here goes.
Total Number of Books I Own:
This is unknowable. Seriously. I have no idea, and I am terrible at estimating things just by looking at them. I can’t tell how many people are in a crowd, and I certainly have no idea how many books are on my shelf. Let me go ask Mike what he thinks . . . he says around 800. We got rid of a bunch lately, both on Amazon and giving them to the church. And the Great-Let’s-Send-Mike-Back-To-School project has put a serious damper on any book buying there might normally have been. Although, as I have mentioned, I am not the kind of person who goes crazy in a bookstore.
Last Book I Bought:
Well, this isn’t very fun for any of you, is it, since I already mentioned that the last book I bought was The Ordering of Love, Madeleine L’Engle’s new poetry book, purchased with a store credit at Barnes and Noble. Before that, the last book Mike got me was, I believe, Plan B by Anne Lamott. Kelly gave me A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson and Secure in God’s Embrace by Ken Fong. The next book we will be purchasing is, of course, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. yaaaaaaay!
Books I’m Reading Now:
I am not currently in the middle of anything, because I finished three books on Saturday, so I’m going to tell you what I’ve been reading and what is in my pile to read.
Recently read:
-Mike and I are still working our way through The Chronicles of Narnia. We have finished Prince Caspian. (reread)
-Harry Potter, books 1-5 (a reread)
-The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books 1-3 (book 1, reread; books 2 & 3 were new to me)
-The King’s English by Betsy Burton
-Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns (reread, for my book club)
Up next:
-The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (reread, with Mike)
-The Life of Pi by Yann Martel (reread, for my book club)
-The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
-A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken
-Swimming with Scapulars by Matthew Lickona
(I’m going on vacation, so I’m allowed to have a lot of “up nexts.”)
Books That Have Been Important To Me:
Well, you can find my top ten favorite books here. Those are the ones I am always mentioning: Pride and Prejudice, Traveling Mercies, Gaudy Night. Since I have already talked about those, I’ll give you a few others. (Oh, and I think saying “the Bible” is totally cheating. The Bible is more than a book.)
-Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Oh, how I wanted to be Anne (spelled with an E). My mom almost went crazy with the talking I did about “kindred spirits” and “the depths of despair.” When I found out there were more Anne books, it was better than Christmas. Of the grown-up Anne books, I like Anne of the Island and Rilla of Ingleside the best.
-The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Until recently, I would have said that I liked The Hobbit better than The Lord of the Rings. Now I would probably say that I appreciate the richness of LotR better. Part of my affection for it was the way I heard the story - my cousin and I were staying at our grandparents’ house, and he must have just read it, because we stayed up really late and he told me the whole story. Even the riddles that Bilbo and Gollum told. I went home and got a copy as soon as I could. I was probably about nine. When kids come to the desk and ask for the book, I always ask how old they are, and tell them that I was about their age when I first read it.
-Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. It’s not in my top ten, but it would be in my top twenty. One of my favorite quotes comes from it, for one thing. Anything I could say about this book would be woefully inadequate, so, just . . . read it.
I’m passing this on to three people:
Mike (because I like to hear him talk about books)
Kelly (because her blog is new) Kelly’s answers
Susan (but I bet she won’t have time right now) Susan’s answers (I was wrong.)
And, for the record, I’m refusing to do any more of these baton thingies for a while. hehe.
June 6th, 2005 at
Did you just call me a cheater, Kari? I’m seriously gonna cry. [Okay, so that was a lie.] I mean, I get your point, but … books just don’t have the same effect on me as they do you, for whatever reason. I think we could divine it if we talked about it as much as we talked about, oh, Luke Danes. [Did I just say that out loud?]
June 6th, 2005 at
Yes, you are a cheater. hehe.
Actually, I was just thinking how I hate it when Christian authors or artists are asked what their favorite book is, and they’re all, “The Bible.” Because it seems like they’re giving it because it’s the “right” answer. And I wouldn’t classify the Bible in the same way that I classify The Chronicles of Narnia, because I approach it completely differently. And that’s even though I hold to the concept of story as truth, and not reading the Bible as a textbook.
June 6th, 2005 at
Oh, I hear you. Let’s see what the ol’ Poopsenga has to say, since I tabbed him. Maybe he won’t be as passé as I am. [I had a hard time answering the question, which is why I grumbled to Spencer about him picking me. ;)]
June 6th, 2005 at
Well, the music one was much harder for me. I also don’t worry as much about my taste in books being “acceptable.”
June 6th, 2005 at
I guess I’m the reverse … I said nothing about the vast amount of Criminally Bad Fiction [much of it in the "technothriller" genre] that lines my bookshelves …
… but I don’t mind my musical tastes being weird.
:highfive: ?
June 6th, 2005 at
[...] /2005
Kari is Evil.
Filed under: Ramblings… — susan @ 5:23 pm
Kari has decided to torture me with another baton abo [...]
June 6th, 2005 at
Hi Kari,
I’ve been an admirer and reader of your blog for the past 6 months or so. I stumbled across it by following links from a friend’s blog to a friend’s blog to a friend’s blog to yours, and I was immediately drawn in by the clarity, warmth, and thoughtfulness of your writing (plus the frequency with which you write, which is something I’ve always struggled for). Many are the times that something you wrote left me deep in thought for some time afterward, or just gave me a good and hopeful feeling inside. I admire your honesty and skill with the written word, and I wanted to let you know.
I’m also replying today because I, too, am an Anne Lamott fan, and because I just encountered the quote that you cited on a blog that I was reading earlier today. It seems that Anne is now a contributor to a political blog called tpmcafe. While her writing there so far is not nearly as thoughtful or insightful as that found in Traveling Mercies and many of her other books, I thought you might be interested to know of her new venue. Her first post can be found here: http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/5/29/14433/2877
Thank you for writing such honest and poignant words. I hope you don’t mind if I continue to read.
June 6th, 2005 at
I agree with all of Brett’s points! I just finished Plan B two days ago and it was absolutely fantastic. I love Anne Lamott. She’s such a wonderful writer and I admire her in many ways. Today I started reading Bird by Bird and I am excited to be reading it.
By the way, A Severe Mercy is one of the most beautiful stories I’ve ever read in my entire life. You will love it. Savor it.
Keep up the great posts, Kari!
Lauren
June 6th, 2005 at
I like to read.
June 7th, 2005 at
Thanks, Brett, for those lovely words, and for the link. I read her column on Salon, but I hadn’t seen the TPM cafe. Please do stick around!
Lauren: It’s kind of like we’re trading. I am excited that you get to read Bird by Bird for the first time, and you can be excited for me to read A Severe Mercy. hehe.